Firewall and port question

[Executioner]

I'm currently running Win98 and using Sygate version 3 for modem sharing. In the configuration, they have an option to enable enhanced security, which is a basic firewall. Right now, it's disabled. My question has to do with the ports. According to tech support, they said:

Enhanced security is the basic firewall that's built into Sygate. It blocks all ports with exception of 1000-5000, which are used for local connections for the Sygate server. While most of the firewalls work fine with Sygate, I don't know if they will work with the older version.

QUESTIONS:

1. Will enabling this basic firewall cause problems with me surfing the net or playing Half Life TFC, which typically uses port 27105.

2. Should I be concerned about using a firewall even though I connect with a modem?

[NascarFool]

With dialup, I wouldn't worry about using a firewall. Hackers want fast connections.

[FlyingPenguin]

I agree that you don't need a firewall for a dialup (unless you're worried about catching Spyware apps phoning home), but the reason is not bandwidth.

Hackers find you by doing a port scan. They do hours and hours (maybe days) of port scans, then go through the logs and go back and poke around with the open ports they found.

If you're on a dialup your IP address changes every tiem you connect so when they go back and try to hack your system, you won't be there anymore.

When you're on broadband though, even if you don't have a static IP, your IP address generally doesn't change very often and you're at much more risk.

To answer your question Executioner, if the Sygate firewall is the same as it used to be a few years ago when I used it, it's pretty basic and yes it may interfere with games. It wasn't a very sophisticated firewall - it just shut down a bunch of ports.

I would recommend Tiny Firewall 2.0 or ZoneAlarm - both are free. I prefer Tiny and you can get it here: http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2092-6313778.html

[Executioner]

OK thanks guys.